Microsoft buys Multimap

Before Live Search Maps and Google Maps there was Multimap, a small, British site that used Ordnance Survey images. When I was a teenager, it was the primary source of house party location information, despite its clunky 'Web 1.0' interface and unreliable red location marker that would move or disappear at will. It remained the best mapping resource on the web for years, until Google Maps was launched, offering vector-based maps that could be dragged, rotated and zoomed. Microsoft Live Search Maps followed, further setting Multimap behind the times.

This year, Multimap has been redesigned, not just catching up with its peers but surpassing them in many ways. Some of the most impressive new features include a new malleable map system, information about locations such as Wi-Fi hotspots or cash machines and route planning facilities – not just for the car, but for walking as well. In the last month, it has eclipsed Live Search Maps in the number of people using it, with more than 4 million visitors from the UK according to market researchers Nielsen NetRatings. While Google Maps remained far ahead with over 11 million visitors, Live Search Maps struggled into fifth place with only 868,000 users.

Microsoft has evidently taken note of this, and, rather than invest money in adding a slew of similar features and advertising campaigns, it's simply bought Multimap outright. Whether the site will retain the Multimap moniker or be entirely incorporated into Live Search Maps remains to be seen; part of me hopes it'll keep the strong name it has always had, while the other acknowledges the need for brand unity for Microsoft. Either way, a combination of the search and information features of Multimap and the stunning bird's eye photography available in Live Search Maps can only be a good thing. Whatever happens, with the right campaign behind it, Microsoft is now a more-than-worthy challenger for the big G's mapping crown.